Corn-planter



2 Sheets-Sheet l. J. SELBY. CORN PLANTER.

(N0 Model.)

No. 381,588. Patented Apr. 24, 1888.

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(No Model.) 7 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. J. SELBY.

GORN PLANTER.

No. 381,588. Patented Apr. 24, 1888.

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JAMES SELBY, OF PEORIA, ILLINOIS.

CORN-PLANTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 381,588, dated April 24-, 1888.

Application tiled J. nuary 6, 1883.

To aZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES SELBY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Peoria, in the county of Peoria and State of Illinois, have invented certain uewand useful Improvements in Corn-Planters, or" which the following is a specification.

The presentiuvcntion relates to corn plantersthat is to say, to that class of cornplant ers or similar machines wherein the runners are adapted to be raised and lowered from and into the ground at the will of the driver, and wherein means are provided for locking the sitions.

The invention hereinafter described, however, may be said to relate particularly to improvements upon the corn-planter set forth and claimed in Reissue No. 7,083, granted to me April 25, 1876; and it consists in an improved arrangement and combination of parts whereby the adjustment of the runners is facilitated and their operation rendered more effective.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a corn-planter embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a longitudi' nal sectional elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is an enlarged elevation of a hand-lever, pawl, and engaging-segment. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional elevation of the engaging-segment, taken on the line 3 3 Fig. 3.

The corn-planter taken for illustration con sists of a main frame, A, suitably balanced upon apair of supporting-wheels, B, the axlebeam for which forms a part of the frame. At or near the center of this main frame, midway between the wheels, rises 21. seat-standard, O, supporting the drivers seat D. At the forward end of the main frame is pivoted a sec nd or runner frame, K, that consists of a pair of transverse bars, 11, separated a short distance apart and supporting on their opposite ends seed-hoppers G. Upon the under side of the bar 11 are secured brackets 12, in which are pivoted the ends of the bars of the main frame, to which the runner-frame is pivoted. In front of the transverse bar 11 is or ranged a third bar, 18, that is secured to the said bar 11 by means of diagonal braces 14, and to the ends of the bar 13 are pivoted the upwardly-curved ends of the runners F, the

Serial X0. 259,951. (No model.)

latter extending downwardly toward the ground and terminating in a seed-tube, 15, extending downward from the under side of the seed-hopper,and is thereby secured to and supported from the rnuner-frame. To this runner-frame, constituted by the cross-bars 10 and 11, is secured the usual drafttongue, H,

the frontend of the tongue extending over the this lever is connected in any suitable manner to the runner'frame K, so that by tilting the lever in either direction the frame will be correspondingly raised or lowered. As shown, however, the draft-tongue is extended rearward of the cross-bars 10 11 and is connected to the lever by a link, 17. Above the lever 20, preferably upon a bracket, I, secured at the base of the seatstandard and independent of said lever 20, is pivoted a hand-lever,

22, that is in position to be grasped and moved by the hand of the driver, and is connected to the lever 20, areferably in rear of its pivot,by a connecting-rod, 23. This hand-lever is provided with a springpressed pawl, 9, that is adapted to engage with a toothed segment, 24, provided on the bracket 1 adjacent to the hand-lever to the seat-standard, or secured to any other suitable part of the frame.

In the construction shown in the drawings the bracket I, supporting the pivot for the handlever 22, and the toothed segment 24 are formed in one piece and are adaptedto bebolted directly to the main frame and to the seatstandard. This bracket is also provided with oppositely-extending foot-rests 8, formed integral therewith, adapted to afford a resting place for the drivers feet.

In the practical operation of the corn planter, while it is important that the runners shall be positively pressed and held in the ground, it is desirable that they may be allowed to follow any depressions that may occur in the ground. The toothed segment is IOC therefore only formed of such extent as to hold the runners depressed when the pawl of the hand-lever 22 is in contact with the last tooth of the segment, so that when the lever is secured in its most forward position it will be free to be moved still farther forward, so that the runners will be free to fall to follow any depression in the ground, but be held against being raised when contacting with pieces of turf or other hard substances; but in order to increase the range of adjustment of the lever 22 the segment is provided with means for extending its length. This is accomplished by providing it with a supplemental plate, 7, ofsegmental form, that is provided with several of the teeth of the segment and is adjustably mounted upon the side of the segment in a recess formed therein, (shown in Fig. 4,) and held by a bolt, 6, that at one side has its head countersunk in the segment and extending into a slot in the supplemental plate 7, where it is provided with a nut for clamping the plate and segment together. In the operation of the lever 22, should it be found that the last tooth of the segment will not hold the lever in such a position that the runners will be pressed suffi-. ciently into the ground, the supplemental plate will be adjusted so as to extend the length of the segment a distance sufficient to hold the lever in position to depress the runners the desired amount.

The arrangement of the hand-lever 22 and its connecting-rod 23 with respect to lever will preferably be such that when the handlever is holding the runners depressed the conneotingrod will assume a line nearly coincident with the axis of the hand-lever, so that considerable strain will be removed from the side of the hand-lever.

What I claim is- 1. In a corn-planter, the combination, with to the runner-frame, and extending rearward of the seat-standard, the hand-lever pivoted to the main frame and connected to the rear of the first-named lever bya link, 23, and a pawl and segment for holding the hand-lever and runners in their adjusted position, substantially as described.

3. In a corn-planter, the combination, with the main frame having runners pivotally connected thereto, and a toothed segment provided with an adjustable supplemental plate having a portion of the'teeth of the segment, of a hand-lever connected to raise and lower the runners and having a pawl for engagement with the teeth of said segment, said hand-lever and pawl adapted to lock and prevent the run ners from rising, but permit them to descend to follow the inequalities of the ground, sub stantially as described.

4. The herein-described bracket I, provided with a toothed segment, 2;, and foot-rests 8, integral therewith, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES sELBY.

Witnesses:

J ULIUS S. STARR, J UDSON STARR. 

